Hellmouth Heroes
by Slash-Raptor
Summary: After sacrificing himself to keep Angel fighting, Doyle ascended to a higher plane of existence. For years, he waited, watching the events unfold... But when his visions return to him and he keeps having the same ones over and over again, he knows that the only way he can get answers is by getting himself expelled. This story is meant to replace the comics, so, keep that in mind...


_**CONNOR**_

"Okay, Doyle," I said, "You brought us here. Now will you tell us where we're going?"

"Ohio," he said, "Unless Cleveland moved somewhere else while I was gone."

"I believe your concerns are misplaced, Son of Angel," said The Groosalugg, "If this man intended to hurt us, would he not have already done it?"

"Don't call me that!" I snapped, "I have a name of my own."

"Settle down, you lot!" called Doyle, "You're on the same side, remember?"

"Yeah," said Nina, "After all, it's going to be a long drive. Maybe we should use this time to get to know each other?"

Nobody said anything. We all just stared at each other until Nina broke the silence she had just created.

"I'll go first then," she said, "Um, I'm a former art school student and current werewolf. For a while, Angel and I were involved, but then he dumped me so he could go undercover in that Black Thorn thing."

"The Circle of the Black Thorn?" I asked.

"I knew it something like that."

"The last time I saw my father was during his battle with Marcus Hamilton," I said, "Who he fought after poisoning the Archduke Sebassis,"

"Seems like Angel is our common denominator," said Nina, "What about you?"

She either didn't know or couldn't pronounce "Groosalugg", so instead she nudged him to get his attention.

"I am not from this world," he said, "I was born in Pylea and banished to the Scum Pits of Ur because of my heritage."

"Heritage?"

"Where I come from, humans are called "cows" and treated as filthy slaves," he continued, "Out of shame, I attempted to kill myself by entering every contest of skill or daring that I could, but failed."

"How did you fail?" asked Nina, "You're alive, aren't you?"

"Exactly," said Groo, "Despite my best efforts, I won every match and defeated everything from Bur Beasts to Drokkens."

"He has demon blood, but the body of a man." I said.

"This earned me a reputation for bravery and combat skill," he said, "As well as my title: "The Groosalugg", which means, brave and undefeated."

"Cool."

"A prophecy foretold that I would "com-shuck" or mate with the entity that bore the visions," said Groo, "But, I found myself madly in love with her. Enough that I escaped Pylea to be with her. Little did I know that she was already in love with Angel."

"I remember that," I said, "You were there when I first arrived L.A."

"Indeed." said Groo.

"You threw an axe at me," I said, "Good shot, by the way."

I could tell that he was gradually adjusting to this world's customs. It wasn't too long ago that I was going through the same thing. In fact, if Cyvus Vail hadn't given me all those false memories, I still would be.

"Could we maybe drive a little slower, Mick?" asked Gwen, "I can already taste my lunch again."

"Sure thing, Sparky." Retorted Doyle.

"Sorry," said Gwen, "I have this thing with cars. Well, actually metal in general."

"I understand," said Nina, "I have this thing with the Moon."

She reached up and put her hand on Gwen's shoulder. When it made contact, a surge of electricity formed and with a snap, Nina retreated, clutching her hand in alarm.

"I meant to warn you about that," she said, "If I wasn't wearing these clothes, the van would have a current too."

"What happened to L.I.S.A.?" I asked, "Gunn said you managed to steal it."

"We did, but it stopped working after a while," said Gwen, "I guess it wasn't meant to be used constantly."

"Your powers," said Groo, "Where did they come from?"

"Beats me," she said, "But if I ever find out, I'd love to shake their hand."

"It's rude it to do that with gloves on." said Doyle.

"I wasn't planning on wearing them."

"So, Connor, what's your story?" asked Nina.

"Well, that depends," I said, "I've got two. Which would you prefer?"

Nina looked puzzled, Gwen's eyebrow raised and Groo merely blinked rapidly.

"I am the son of two vampires," I said, "Normally, that can't happen, but in my case, a rogue member of The Powers That Be engineered my birth so that I could be her father."

"Angel's friend Wesley betrayed him because he thought there was a prophecy saying that my father would kill me," I went on, "Wesley gave me to Holtz, who escaped with me into Quor'toth. Time moves much faster there, so less than an Earth month later, 16 years had passed in Quor'toth. I escaped by hitching a ride on a demon through an interdimensional tear, which sent me back to L.A."

They just gaped at me. Everyone who ever knew me, except for Angel forgot all of that when Vail re-wrote my life. Then, when Wesley shattered the Orlon Window, everything was reversed, but I kept all the forged memories. So, I ended up with two lives.

"The other story is boring in comparison," I said, "The most traumatic memory I have from my other life is getting lost in a store when I was five."

"I am confused," said Groo, "What is this other life you speak of?"

"I never really was a part of the Body Jasmine. I knew she was a lie, but pretended to be basking in her glory because I didn't know what else to do," I sighed, "After Angel broke her hold and restored everyone's free will, I killed Jasmine, my own daughter. With her gone, I had nothing left and became an emotional wreck."

They didn't speak because they could tell I wasn't quite finished yet.

"I went so far as to try and try and kill myself, Cordelia and a shop full of innocent people," I said, "Angel knew that there was nothing he could do, so, he agreed to take over Wolfram and Hart in exchange for Cyvus Vail to give me the one thing Angel couldn't."

"A family…" said Nina.

"I'll never forget what he did for me," I said, "I just hope I'll make him proud."

"Trust me lad," said Doyle, "The work we're gonna do will change the world forever."

"What about her?" asked Nina, "She hasn't said much of anything."

"She'll speak up eventually," I said, "Once she gets used to us."

Nina had indicated our fifth member, Dana. I had just met her earlier that day. A gang of vampires jumped her, when she hopped out of the freight car she had been. I tried to help her, but ended up not needing to. She overpowered and staked them all like a seasoned pro. Afterwards, Dana introduced herself to me and we quickly bonded because each of us had rather traumatic childhoods. However, in her case, she had to get over those issues normally, whereas I forgot I ever had them.

"Scratch that, I mean once she gets used to you." I said.

"We already met," muttered Dana, "That's what he's saying."

"I tried to save her from vampires on my way to the rendezvous point," I said, "Turns out she didn't need saving."

"They can't touch me anymore," muttered Dana, "Willow saw to that."

"Willow?" asked Gwen, "Isn't she that witch who helped restore Angelus' soul?"

"Among other things," I said, "She also used her magic to activate every single potential slayer on the planet, including Dana."

"I learned a lot while working with the Slayer Organization," said Dana, "They helped anchor me in reality and overcome most of my issues."

"But some scars never really heal." I said.

"As a potential, I kept seeing events that other Slayers went through," she continued, "For the longest time, I didn't know what they meant, because nobody came to explain them."

"You're the one that cut off Spike's arms, aren't you?" asked Nina.

"Not really," said Dana, "The instability of my mind, allowed for countless personalities to manifest themselves. Before I Andrew found me, my real self was buried under the ones that my inherited memories created."

"Imagine waking up from a dream to discover that the version of yourself from that dream is trapped in your mind with the real you." I said.

"You make that sound so easy," said Gwen, "Connor are you sure she's up for this?"

"Ask her yourself," I said, "She followed me into this van because she chose to."

"Buffy and Faith wouldn't have let me leave if they didn't think I was ready." said Dana.

"I understand the way she thinks," I said, "If she does lose her cool, I should be able to help her find it again."

"If you say so, Loverboy." said Gwen.

"I congratulate you on finding yourself a princess, Connor." said Groo.

"She's not my-" I began.

"Do I get to wear one those pretty dresses?" asked Dana.

"Everyone, be quiet!" hissed Nina, "I hear something."

My senses were top notch too, but I didn't pick up on anything until the others stopped talking. The silence allowed me to place the sound.

"It might be some kind of demon," I said, "Something that growls constantly and has a deep, powerful roar."

"And an engine," said Nina, "That's not a demonic roar."

She was right. As it the noise grew louder, it became clear that a vehicle of some sort was responsible for it.

"I'll go check it out." I said, "Doyle, open the sunroof!"

"This thing doesn't have one." he said.

"Then I'll make one." I said.

I stood up and spread my legs to keep from losing my balance.


End file.
